Harley Dealers and their shops fall into the "stuck between a rock and hard place category". I am a confirmed motor head and have been enjoying and working on bikes, hot rods, daily rides, etc for 40+ years. Part of that pleasure is learning more and more as you work on your "toys". You will also assemble a nice collection of tools and equipment along the way. But as you grow older, you want to spend more time riding and less time wrenching. Plus there is also the need to establish a relationship with a dealer to deal with warranty issues, recalls, and repairs that you are not able to perform. Unfortunately, most of the time when I have shop work done, I will find something wrong after they are finished. It has varied from incomplete, incorrect, sloppy, dangerous and outright fraud. I do a lot of touring with friends, and it seems that any time there is a breakdown, the first thing you hear is "Damm, I just got this f***in bike out of the shop for a complete service and inspection!!!" So my advise is, as others have said, get a shop manual, learn to do as much as you can on your own, keep accurate records, but throw some work your dealers way when you can and hopefully a good relationship will develop. Time to get back to the garage!
Tommy P
Author
Topic: What do they check on the 1000 mile check up? (Read 2001 times)